No visa fees for first-time Hajj & Umrah pilgrims

Saudi Arabia’s king has offered to pay the visa fees for first-time pilgrims to Hajj and Umrah. “The cost of first entry for pilgrims to Umrah and Haj will be covered by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman,” said Minister of Haj and Umrah, Mohammed Bin Saleh Bentin.

The minister announced the same during a coordination meeting with the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques. “Our partnership is aimed at removing all the obstacles that may face the Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and facilitate their arrival to the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah,” he told Khaleej Times.

The ministry has reportedly set Shawwal 20 (July 4) as an initial date for the Hajj and Umrah local companies to receive their tents in Mina and Ramadan 12 as the date these companies will receive their seasonal licenses.

SAR 2,000 (almost $540) will be charged as an entry fee for the Kingdom, and Hajj and Umrah has nothing to do with it. Those who are entering the Kingdom for the second and subsequent entries will be charged SR2,000.

Ramadan 23 (June 7) will be the last date to receive the bank guarantees for the programmes of the general, the facilitated and the low-cost Hajj. The transport companies should enter their data digitally and document their contracts latest by Shawwal 15 (June 29). The ministry also informed that the last date for the accommodation providers to submit their necessary documents is Dhul Qada 25 (Aug 7).